Mechanical locks and electronic locks are commonly used to control access to real estate properties. Some electronic locks, such as lockboxes, are capable of providing access for predetermined time periods. Certain electronic locks are also capable of control access to real estate properties based on one dimensional (1-D) barcodes and two dimensional (2-D) barcodes (also known as QR codes). As used herein, QR codes and three dimensional barcodes are also referred to as barcodes. Three dimensional (3-D) barcodes include a color dimension. The barcodes encode access data, such as access codes and allowed access time frame, and are scanned by the electronic locks. The electronic locks then authorize access to the real estate property, to which they are attached to, if the access data is authenticated.
The conventional real estate access control devices are not operatively coupled to real estate property showing appointment management system. A property showing appointment management system allows users (such as listing agents, showing agents, sellers, buyers, and others) to manage listings, managing listing agent profiles, manage showing agent profiles, schedule showing appointments, management showing appointments, communicate with others regarding real estate listings, collect and forward showing feedback, etc. The showing appointment management system can correctly authenticate accesses to properties without the risk of the access being compromised. Furthermore, the showing appointment management system maintains the up-to-date real estate data and assures the integrity of the data. Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for control access to a real estate property via an electronic device attached to the property and the showing appointment management system.
Doorbells are widely used signaling devices for alerting persons inside real estate properties about the presence of visitors. A doorbell camera device (also referred to herein as a doorbell cam device) performs the functions of a conventional doorbell, and further incorporates a camera for providing video monitoring and surveillance capabilities. However, the conventional doorbell cam devices have never been operatively coupled to a showing appointment management system for managing showings and controlling access to the real estate property based on showing appointments. Therefore, there is a need for a new electronic device that reads showing data encoded in barcodes, communicates with the showing appointment management system to authenticate the showing data, and instructs an electronic lock to unlock itself after the showing data is authenticated.